Bitcoin climbed above $109,000 early Monday, buoyed by gains across major cryptocurrencies and easing market concerns after the Trump administration delayed an upcoming tariff deadline.

BTC, along with Ethereum (ETH) and Ripple (XRP), showed renewed strength as the crypto market opened the week on a positive note.

At the time of writing, Bitcoin is trading near $109,000. If momentum continues, a retest of the May 22 all-time high of $111,980 appears within reach.

Institutional interest remains a key driver of the rally, with more firms expanding their exposure to digital assets.

As market volatility recedes and institutional participation deepens, some investors are shifting focus away from major cryptocurrencies toward higher-risk, early-stage projects.

This environment has sparked renewed attention on speculative tokens like Bitcoin Pepe, which are attracting risk-tolerant capital.

With sentiment improving, assets in the high-volatility segment of the market are emerging as notable beneficiaries of the current trend.

Metaplanet has added another 2,205 Bitcoin to its holdings in a purchase worth approximately $238.7 million, the Japanese investment firm disclosed on Monday.

The latest acquisition brings Metaplanet’s total Bitcoin holdings to 15,555 BTC.

CEO Simon Gerovich said in a post on X that the company bought the Bitcoin at an average price of around $108,237 per coin.

According to Bitcointreasuries.net, Metaplanet remains the fifth-largest publicly listed corporate holder of Bitcoin.

Strategy, led by Michael Saylor, continues to top the list with 597,325 BTC.

Metaplanet’s Bitcoin-focused business has posted strong growth, reporting nearly 1.1 billion yen (approximately $7.6 million) in revenue for the second quarter—a 42.4% increase from the same period last year, according to its latest earnings disclosure.

“This accelerating growth affirms the strength of our strategy—building a sustainable, scalable, and operationally efficient business on a bitcoin standard,” Gerovich wrote last week on X.

As Bitcoin consolidates above key support levels, institutional adoption continues to bolster broader market sentiment.

This relatively stable backdrop is driving a shift in investor focus toward higher-risk segments of the crypto market, particularly meme coins, which are seeing renewed inflows.

One project gaining momentum is Bitcoin Pepe, which distinguishes itself from typical meme tokens by combining internet-fueled virality with a Layer 2 infrastructure narrative.

Positioned as an effort to “build Solana on Bitcoin,” the project aims to merge Bitcoin’s base-layer security with Solana-like scalability and transaction speed.

This technical foundation sets Bitcoin Pepe apart from meme coins that rely solely on community engagement.

Since its launch in February, the Bitcoin Pepe presale has consistently drawn interest from risk-tolerant investors, raising more than $16.2 million to date.

The BPEP token is currently priced at $0.0437, with a price increase expected once total contributions surpass $17.07 million.

Listings on BitMart and MEXC are planned, with a final listing announcement scheduled for July 31.